This invention relates to an improved skin care composition for moisturizing and conditioning the skin. In particular, it relates to a cosmetically acceptable, translucent skin moisturizing lotion having an emulsified petrolatum base. The emulsions of the present invention are prepared using a crosslinked organopolysiloxane-polyoxyalkylene emulsifier and involve matching the refractive indices for the continuous and discontinuous phases.
Consumers have long desired a moisturizing and conditioning preparation in the form of a hand and body lotion which, when applied, provides cosmetically acceptable tactile properties. The desirable properties of petrolatum have long been recognized primarily because of its beneficial effects on the skin. Such benefits are neutral, stable, translucent, odorless and substantially non-volatile at atmospheric conditions.
Petrolatum has been used both alone, and as an ingredient in skin care products, for over 60 years. It is believed to be helpful in skin care, because it is occlusive and causes moisture to accumulate in the stratum corneum. It is well known that petrolatum is a moisturizer. Petrolatum is a tenacious substance which stays in place, filling in the irregularities and smoothing the surface of the skin for many hours.
However, it has lone been known that petrolatum is extremely difficult to formulate in a pleasing aesthetic state and therefore, it is not present in many commercially available skin care products. Petrolatum or petroleum jelly impart to the skin an uncomfortable feeling of warmth in addition to a sticky, oily, greasy or waxy feel. Attempts have been made to emulsify petrolatum in a cream or lotion form in order to reduce its greasy and unacceptable tactile properties, when applied to the skin. However, by adding conventional water-soluble detergent emulsifiers to stabilize the petrolatum, the moisturizing properties of the petrolatum are unacceptably reduced.
A satisfactory skin care composition having superior moisturizing and conditioning properties with cosmetically acceptable tactile properties should exhibit satisfactory feel, lubricity and absorption when applied to the skin. In particular, the composition should exhibit good consistency, should apply evenly to the skin, should be absorbed rapidly and should dry quickly. After application, the skin should feel smooth and clean. The composition should assist in relieving the tight feeling of dry skin and should soothe irritated skin.
Until now, prior art and commercially available cosmetic formulations have failed to achieve all the aforementioned desired properties. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,137,302 there is disclosed a composition including cetyl alcohol, isopropyl palmitate and petrolatum. Various cationic emulsifiers are also disclosed. Cosmetic compositions containing petrolatum in combination with the usual cosmetic ingredients are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,392,040, 3,609,102 and 3,981,990. In general, such compositions provide a film which is palpably oily and greasy to the touch upon application.
There is therefore a continuing need for the development of new and improved skin moisturizing compositions which impart beneficial effects to the skin.